Penn State is finally finishing its most unusual — and maybe more important — football recruiting class. 
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And since the Nittany Lions don’t expect any changes in their group before national signing day on Wednesday, it’s a good time to learn, or just catch up, on all of the verbal commitments who are about to become binding. 
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Check out our recruiting blog site for bios on all 17 recruits, which includes five early enrollees, whose scholarship count against the 2012 class. All of the players who stayed committed to Penn State through the Jerry Sandusky scandal and then the NCAA sanctions.

Former Penn State cornerback Stephon Morris (12) trained with new defensive back Jordan Smith back home near Washington, D.C.

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The importance of the class goes well beyond national team rankings, in which a couple of the major recruiting sites list the Lions just inside the top 40.
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So learn about everyone from stars Adam Breneman and Christian Hackenberg to some under-the-radar prospects worth learning about such as defensive back Jordan Smith from Woodson High near Washington, D.C. 
Defensive back, for example, may still be Penn State’s position of biggest need. How much can Smith and three other defensive backs in this recruiting class end up helping? 
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We’ll go more in-depth on Smith’s story and how he got to Penn State in the near future. But an important tidbit is that he grew up watching and then working out with former Penn State standouts Stephon Morris, Derrick Williams and NaVorro Bowman. 
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Smith worked out with Morris’ father, Roman Morris, and former Philadelphia Eagle cornerback Troy Vincent, who run a defensive back academy in Greenbelt, Md. 
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“He didn’t want to be the one out of the group who didn’t make it,” Roman Morris said of Smith. “He just wanted to work and work, and here he is, his dream came true.” 
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About this blog

Nittany Nation is the place to go for the latest news and rumblings about the Penn State football program. Our team of contributors, led by longtime Nittany Lion beat reporter Frank Bodani, will offer perspectives and insight on PSU from the present and past, along with coverage of York County's unique connections to Penn State football.